Introduction: Testing Stains on Common Lumber

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About: Hi my name is David, I like to make things out of Wood, also like to take things apart and fixed them.

This week I done some testing, I wanted to see what different stains would look like on Common lumber bought at Lowes or Home Depot. This is the lumber that we would buy, to do repairs around the house. It's got voids, cracks and knots. It's also good lumber to make Rustic wood projects.

What was needed:

Common Lumber: such as 2" x 4"s or 1" x 4"s etc....

Several different stains

Paint brush

Rags or Paper Towels

Blue Painters tape

Step 1: Plain

This is what common lumber looks like before any stain applied.

Step 2: Steelwool & Vinegar

I mixed some White Vinegar and some pieces of Steelwool in a Jar, you will need to let it set in the Jar for at least a day or two.

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days.

Step 3: Natural Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Natural Stain.

Step 4: Ipswich Pine Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Ipswich Pine Stain.

Step 5: Gunstock

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax GunStock Stain.

Step 6: Cherry Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Cherry Stain.

Step 7: Red Oak Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Red Oak Stain.

Step 8: Golden Oak Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Golden Oak Stain.

Step 9: Kona Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Rust-oluem Kona Stain.

Step 10: Classic Gray Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Classic Gray Stain.

Step 11: Driftwood Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Driftwood Stain.

Step 12: Dark Walnut

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Dark Walnut Stain.

Step 13: Special Walnut Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Special Walnut Stain.

Step 14: Red Mahogany Stain

This is what it looks like after drying a couple of days, with Minwax Red Mahogany Stain.

Note you might want to use Minwax Pre-Stain wood conditioner before applying any of these stains, it will give you a more uniform color.


Thanks for checking this out, and I hope it helps somebody that wants to Stain Common Lumber.